The Air Force awards the Air Force Cross to Staff Sgt. Zachary J. Rhyner, a combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., for his heroic actions during a 6.5 battle in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley on April 6, 2008. Rhyner, who was a senior airman at the time of the battle, is the third living Air Force Cross recipient from the Global War on Terrorism and the only living combat controller to receive the Air Force Cross.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.